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Another new user: Conflicting info on how to properly maintain HAs

Hi, after 12 years of a mild hearing loss, my hearing deteriorated more over the past year and I now have my first pair of aids. I have the Starkey Muse. Have had them 3 days and it does make a significant difference, just to have that small band of hi-freq sounds amplified.

My question is about care and maintenance.

The audiologist said to care for the aids as follows:

Wipe the aids down with Wet Ones or something similar.

Use a very soft toothbrush to get wax off the domes (as opposed to using the cheapy brush that comes with the Starkey)

Periodically take the domes off and check the wax guard and change it out if needed.

Leave battery door open overnight (and I guess whenever else you take them off, like for swimming).

But I'm seeing other posts about never using anything moist on hearing aids. And lots of people purchase drying containers or devices to store their aids. So I'm confused about the best way to care for them. Even the various YouTube videos have a bit of conflicting information!

I would love some guidance from experienced users on the best way to care for my aids. Thank you!

Since 1972 I have done nothing more to my hearing aids than open the battery compartment at night and tuck them away in a safe place overnight. Since the advent of wax guards, I change them out when they appear to have matter in them (for me about twice a year). Every so often, I'll wipe the entire assembly off with a piece of toilet paper. That's all. They aren't priceless glass artifacts, especially modern aids with nano-coatings and moisture resistance ratings. People with naturally gunky ears may need a more aggressive cleaning routine than I do, though.

Originally Posted by stlboomer

Hi, after 12 years of a mild hearing loss, my hearing deteriorated more over the past year and I now have my first pair of aids. I have the Starkey Muse. Have had them 3 days and it does make a significant difference, just to have that small band of hi-freq sounds amplified.

My question is about care and maintenance.

The audiologist said to care for the aids as follows:

Wipe the aids down with Wet Ones or something similar.

Use a very soft toothbrush to get wax off the domes (as opposed to using the cheapy brush that comes with the Starkey)

Periodically take the domes off and check the wax guard and change it out if needed.

Leave battery door open overnight (and I guess whenever else you take them off, like for swimming).

But I'm seeing other posts about never using anything moist on hearing aids. And lots of people purchase drying containers or devices to store their aids. So I'm confused about the best way to care for them. Even the various YouTube videos have a bit of conflicting information!

I would love some guidance from experienced users on the best way to care for my aids. Thank you!

I live in AZ where it's dry enough naturally already that I don't need a drying aid to help out. I just open the battery door (you have to anyway to avoid draining the battery) and let it sit a night right on my computer keyboard.

Once in a while I inspect it for wax, maybe every other week, and wipe off the wax if necessary. I've had mine for 4.5 months now and still don't need to change out the wax guard. But this is an RIC type. The previous CIC type I had, I used to have the wax guard changed every other month or two at Costco (for free). But this is really depending on how much wax one produces and it varies individually.

I don't see anything wrong with what your audi told you to do, except that if your HAs are not filthy dirty I don't see the need to wipe it down with a wet wipe. For older HAs that are not water resistant, maybe wiping them down with a wet wipe is not recommended.

Stlboomer, I have worn aids for 30+ years, so I have definitely found things that seem to maintain the performance of my aids. I feel that your audiologist is actually RIGHT ON, except I'd add a few:

Buy yourself a proper UV/dryer unit. I have 3 that work dandy: Dry 'n store's Global II, Widex, and AudioDry. These units will gently dry and sanitize your aids with a daily cycle. I pop mine in at the end of the day and have found ear itch greatly reduced. Some units are small enough to travel with, so I am never without one!

If you swim, not only remove aids AND the batteries (or they may *squeal* in your locker!), but also wear earplugs to keep ALL moisture out of your ears. I recommend TYR plugs for the best fit!

As long as you don't get moisture INTO the aids, it's perfectly fine to wipe them down with an alcohol prep pad (or the wipes).

Hope you are overall happy with the aids - let us know the brand you are wearing.

Hi, after 12 years of a mild hearing loss, my hearing deteriorated more over the past year and I now have my first pair of aids. I have the Starkey Muse. Have had them 3 days and it does make a significant difference, just to have that small band of hi-freq sounds amplified.

My question is about care and maintenance.

The audiologist said to care for the aids as follows:

Wipe the aids down with Wet Ones or something similar.

Use a very soft toothbrush to get wax off the domes (as opposed to using the cheapy brush that comes with the Starkey)

Periodically take the domes off and check the wax guard and change it out if needed.

Leave battery door open overnight (and I guess whenever else you take them off, like for swimming).

But I'm seeing other posts about never using anything moist on hearing aids. And lots of people purchase drying containers or devices to store their aids. So I'm confused about the best way to care for them. Even the various YouTube videos have a bit of conflicting information!

I would love some guidance from experienced users on the best way to care for my aids. Thank you!

I only wipe my HA's down with wipes about once a week.

I wipe them down with a towel each night.

I also store them in a Global Dry N Store each night, with the battery door open. The Dry N Store works great to dry out wax making it very easy to remove.

Use the wax tool on your aids when needed to remove any wax. The brush also works good, but I find an old toothbrush works better.

I have to clean my aids every night because they are sticky. I see that some audiologists recommend drying them only and brushing them in the morning but that did not work in my case, they would remain sticky in the morning.
so i got to routine:

-wipe them with Lysol (or Clorox wipes), they contain 'dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride', less drying than alcohol so the aids would not get brittle. They use similar formulation in medical industry. I take out one wipe and cut it to multiple pieces because it is too large, then use one small piece every night

-dry them in uv dryer (bought in Costco for about $40)

-brush them in the morning. I never noticed that the brushing does anything but it is few seconds anyway

Gosh, thanks, everyone, for your input. This is very helpful. I think I'm going to get a dryer.

I really appreciate all the great stuff I'm learning here, BTW.

1Bluejay - So far, I'm liking these Starkey Muses. My first audiologist (who is in my ENT's office and did my initial testing and hearing aid consult) only used Phonaks and Unitrons. (She said she was restricted by her office's hospital affiliation.) She had me try on a top of the line Phonak Audeo but told me not to expect much from aids, with my audiogram. She was wrong. The Audeos were tinny, but it was still easier to understand her with them on. After reading this forum, I decided that I needed to check out at least another HA so I could compare. Went to another audiologist who suggested either Starkey Muse (which he had available to test in house) or Widex for my loss. I tried the Muse while I was there and was really impressed. (Better than the Audeo.) So I went with the Muse and so far I'm pleased.